Mallya quits USL in $75 mn deal with Diageo

Bengaluru/London: Liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Thursday resigned as chairman and non-executive director of United Spirits Ltd (USL) as part of a $75 million (Rs.516 crore) financial deal with its majority holder and global liquor major Diageo plc of Britain.

“We have entered into an agreement with Vijay Mallya under which he has resigned from his position as chairman and non-executive director of United Spirits Ltd and from the boards of other USL group companies,” the London-based Diageo said in a filing to the London Stock Exchange.

Soon after Mallya’s resignation, the USL board appointed non-executive director Mahendra Kumar Sharma as the company’s new chairman.

As part of the agreement, Mallya will be paid $75 million over a five-year period, including $40 million (Rs.275 crore) in the first year and the balance over four years.